This northern lights chalk art project for kids is so simple yet so beautiful! There is something so fun about working with chalk on a black piece of construction paper! It's almost magical that the chalk begins to look like a glowing light on the paper! My poor 8 year old was home with a cold the other day and was happy to help me figure out the best way to make northern lights. (Plus it helped me get her away from the TV for awhile.) We sat together on my office floor and tried a few different methods -
Posh Chalk Stencils have been designed to enhance your furniture upcycling project. Made from industrial strength Mylar, these stencils and transfers for furniture are available in numerous different designs.
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I am fascinated by printmaking, by making an imprint, a reverse image of one reality that...
By skillfully combining various styles and textures, we can achieve a unique aesthetic that captivates the eye and evokes a sense of harmony and balance. Whether you're a design enthusiast or looking to revamp your living space, let’s unlock the secrets of mixing different styles and textures to cre
This is a fun art lesson idea inspired by the work of Claude Monet, using floating chalk. All ages will enjoy this year round project. Step by step instruction, photos and materials list included.
Want to know how to make natural homemade weed killer? Check out these tutorials to create a safe, effective diy weed killer for your garden.
This tutorial or recipe shows you how to make sidewalk chalk paint at home. This particular recipe shows you how to make a thick foamy mix for tactile fun.
Because a handmade present comes straight from the heart!
Grab one of these climbing hold bottle openers to celebrate a hard days climb. Whether it was a long day at the crag or a tough session at the gym, these climbing hold bottle openers will help you crack open your favorite beverage. Each opener is fully functional and also has a powerful magnet embedded in the climbing hold to easily store it on any metal surface. (Your climbing friends will all be envious of the great looking climbing hold hanging on your fridge!) The openers come in large and small sizes. You can choose your option from the drop-down menu. Please note that the shapes are different depending on which size you choose. Current color choices include blue , orange, and green!
How to Paint Furniture with Metallic Furniture Paint? Painting a piece of furniture with metallic paints is no different from painting it with routine paints.
Many years ago, I came across some information about Sue Patrick's Workboxes, an organizational system designed to aide her autistic son in developing independent study skills. In the simplest of terms, workboxes are made from a drawer organizer cart. Each school day, you fill the drawers with school assignments or fun activities and instruct your child to work their way down the cart, doing the task in the first drawer before moving on to the next one. Your child would be motivated to do the school work you've placed in one box in hopes they'd find a reward such as a fun game, a snack, or a pass for a break in the next box. My Type A personality loved the idea of this well-ordered school-day tool. I appreciated the autonomous learning that the workbox method promised. As an added bonus, I was assured that if I implemented something similar in my own home, those dozens of learning games collecting dust in my school cabinet would finally get played with. (This post contains affiliate links. Please see my disclosure policy for full details.) But, after much consideration, I scrapped the entire idea altogether for the following reasons: I live in an acutely small house. I have five kids that would all need an entire workbox system for themselves. With a few swift calculations, it was obvious to me that my tiny little home could not possibly hold 60+ boxes! Rearranging books, games, manipulatives, etc. in drawers, bins, boxes, or the like every night seemed like an exhausting endeavor. While I liked the idea of Sue's system, I knew I'd need a structure that would encourage educational independence in each of my kids, but that wouldn't require a giant home renovation to make it happen. After much deliberation and a little bit of elbow grease, I created my Task Card System. These colorful one-inch "reminders" have revolutionized our daily schedule. No longer do I have to prod or cajole my children a million times a day to continue at their tasks. The motivation is built right into the system. Here's how The Task Card system works In the evening, I quickly scan my Brave Homeschool Planer (It takes about 10 minutes, tops!) and determine what activities I have assigned for the following school day. I still maintain our TRIO of subjects but am now able to mix in an occasional "extra" to avoid a lot of downtime while I am working with or teaching another child. Extras might include play an educational game on the computer, complete a learning puzzle, have a snack, play with the baby, etc. These extras supply an intrinsic motivation for my kids to keep on keepin' on. Who wouldn't want to complete a math assignment knowing that snack time, computer time, playtime, etc. came next? Admittedly, selecting the next day's activities each evening does require a little bit of purposeful selection. I have to order each Task Card in such a way that allows one child to complete a subject that requires my assistance while the other kids work on more independent subjects. Group subjects also have to be timed accordingly. But as Mom, I get the privilege of re-ordering the cards in the middle of the day if needed. (Such was the case the other day when I had the entire day "ordered" and had to whisk us all out the door for a rather random trip to the doctor. When we returned, I made a few simple adjustments to the Task Cards and the kids were back to business as usual.) The Perks of using The Task Card system The most obvious perk of The Task Card System is that I have the benefits of Sue Patrick's original idea--fostering independent learning and using all those fun "extras" that would otherwise get forgotten or passed over--without all the clunky boxes taking up space and demanding to be cleaned out/reorganized/de-cluttered every evening. In addition, I never have to nag. My kids know exactly what is expected of them each day. For the most part, they get to set the pace of their own learning. So, should they buckle down and complete all the items on their card by lunch, they have the rest of the day to do as they please. But, should they lollygag and twitter away precious learning time, a longer-than-normal school day becomes the natural consequence. To use the Task Card System From the Base Chart, pull off all the one-inch tags needed for the following day's work. Attach these to the individual child's Task Card. (Both the Base Chart and the Task Cards can be printed in multiple colors to accommodate large families.) Insert these cards into each child's book bin. Or, simply lay them out wherever daily work takes place. The next day, remind each child to look over his/her Task Card and get going with their day. When a child completes one tag's task, he/she returns it to the correct Base Chart making it very clear what has or has not been completed. (The Base Chart has a picture of the tag with a blank square just below it. The completed tag gets placed in the correct blank square. That way, you don't have to go searching all over the chart at the end of the night when you reorder the cards. Everything has a place and everything is in its place. At the end of the school day, instruct each child to return their empty Task Card to their book bin in order that you may attach the next day's tags. How to put it all together This is a digital download. After purchasing, you will immediately be sent a print-ready file. The 14-page file includes: 1 sheet of 48 Task Tags that can be reproduced for multiple children (Each sheet includes enough tags for 2 children.) 8 Base Charts in the following colors: navy blue, light grey, pink, light purple, maroon, army green, mustard yellow, and light blue 8 Task Cards in the same colors (Each sheet includes cards for 2 children.) To ensure the best quality product when printing from a home printer, select "fit to print" before printing. Print onto 8 1/2 x 11 cardstock. Next, laminate all the sheets you've printed. The one-inch tags then need to be cut into individual squares. Apply clear velcro dots to the backs of the Tags, the empty squares on the Base Chart, and each of the 12 squares on the Task Cards. Attach the Base Charts to a wall using 3M adhesive strips. For more information on how to set it up and how to utilize the task cards throughout the homeschool day, be sure to watch a short series of video clips answering the FAQs. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! Thank you! The list will be sent to your inbox shortly. Grab my free No Twaddle Book List! I've compiled a complete list of my most favorite books for all ages, tots to tweens. Start here to build a reading culture in your home! Yes, send me the book list!
We love Paper Toys. As you can imagine, my kids have finally “gotten into” Paper Planes. Well.. they have been trying to make paper planes for quite some time now and are always inventing their own too (watch the video of my son’s creation below.. yes it is basic, but we all start our DIY...
This is a fun art lesson idea inspired by the work of Claude Monet, using floating chalk. All ages will enjoy this year round project. Step by step instruction, photos and materials list included.
Transform Retired Climbing Rope Into Bowls and Other Useful Things: Rope bowls are quite popular and understandably so with their colorful patterns, intricate texture, and soft feel. They are a fun way to breathe new life into an old retired piece of rope or to transform a new piece of rope into something unique. Wh…
Gift wrapping doesn't have to be boring with just wrapping paper! Check out these unique gift wrapping ideas to jazz up your presents.
Mobile ist leicht, dreht und bewegt sich vom leichten Luftzug, und ist eine beliebte Dekoration für Kinderzimmer. Besonders für kleine Babys ist das ein
